Claymont's Wallace becomes two-time All-Ohio in cross country with eighth-place finish

Kali Wallace one-upped herself. She’s now a two-time All-Ohioan cross country runner and a two-time state top-10 placer as a result.

Wallace, a junior at Claymont, still has a year to improve those feats. She was the third-fastest non-senior in the Division III state final Nov. 1 at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz, finishing eighth in the season’s final race.

Wallace logged a time of 18:35.83, which was good for eighth place. She knocked about two seconds off her time of a year ago, when she finished 10th.

With the top 48 finishers earning All-Ohio status, Wallace easily achieved that for the second consecutive year.

Winning the race was Marlington’s Irelyn Johnson, also a junior. She finished in 18:10.89, about 3.5 seconds faster than runner-up Allana Williams of Martins Ferry.

Williams, who beat Wallace by about 12 seconds as the pair finished 1-2 at regionals a week ago, put a little more distance between the pair this time, but she will graduate. Juniors Lola Mullen of Peninsula Woodridge (fifth place, 18:25.69), and Ryle Towns of Huron (seventh (18:34.32) presumably could be back to face Wallace again of those who finished above the Claymont standout.